5 Ways To Nurture Your Creativity As An Entrepreneur.
If you haven’t found or followed SHE Malta yet, then we suggest you get right to it. This vital female community is helping to shape not only the future of women in business on the Maltese Islands but also serving as an essential hub for their support and growth. We interviewed Sass Woods, Co-Founder of SHE, back in March for the launch of GITH Woman and it was clear we were on the same path. Read about how she believes creativity and entrepreneurship go hand in hand.
As an Entrepreneur I find myself having to create and innovate constantly. And I’m not just referring to the initial stages, in terms of coming up with an idea to take to market, but also during the day-to-day running of my business.
I run a community for women in business that was largely known for its face-to-face networking events that took place across the Maltese islands. In light of the pandemic, we have now pivoted into an online membership program tailored to suit female entrepreneurs and freelancers, without a doubt, adapting and taking the community online required a good dose of creativity in more ways that one!
Entrepreneurship requires a certain amount of flexibility, adaptation, and resilience is essential in order for a) survival and b) success. The trait that ties all of these characteristics together to propel your business forward is creativity. Your product or service will naturally evolve over time to suit the needs of your customer whose circumstances may change due to a number of reasons. How are you creatively going to act in order to continue to serve efficiently and effectively?
Now the entrepreneurial journey is never really smooth sailing, ask any entrepreneur and they will all acknowledge the metaphorical rollercoaster – along your journey there will be highs and there will be very low lows. Being creative during said highs is a breeze but what about the lows? I’ve often found myself stuck, creatively blocked so to say, when things are not going to plan. So how do we nurture our creativity for it to come to our rescue in times of need?
Here are 5 practices that I have found helpful;
1. Take Mindful Breaks.
Focus on things other than work by consciously stepping away from your work environment to fully immerse yourself in other activities. You’ll find that ideas will come to you when you are in a state of flow. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that creative ideas will come to me when I am out on a run, for example, or whilst I am lovingly preparing a good meal for friends or family. Removing yourself from the situation to give yourself time to BE will work wonders, or has done for me anyway.
2) Make Time To Check In With Yourself
From personal experience, that “stuck” feeling can be the result of an emotional block. Perhaps there are feelings we are ignoring. I have found journaling to be a good tool for this. Writing things down helps me to figure stuff out. If I’m feeling out of sorts I will take some time to pour my feelings out onto paper. I’ve found this to be a good release. You can’t expect to focus on a task at hand if emotions are clouding your thinking space.
3) Keep Your Mind Stimulated – Read Books, Read Often.
Then take part in discussions; be it on Clubhouse with strangers or in a more relaxed environment with friends and family. Verbalize your opinions and open your mind to hearing what other people have to say. Network! Surround yourself with other entrepreneurs – learn from one another and don’t be afraid to brainstorm. This is what the SHE community is all about; sharing knowledge, ideas, and support. We hold a discussion club every month because we value and acknowledge the creative synergy that a group brings with it.
4) Know Your Audience
Sometimes I have found that creative solutions are staring us in the face unbeknownst to us. The answer lies essentially in the people we are serving, our audience. Actively listen and observe your audience. Get to know who they are. What do they love? What makes them happy? What do they lack? What do they want? What do they need? Ask all these questions in creative ways, analyze your results, and then re-structure to continuously perfect your offering.
5) Be Playful
Make time for all the things that bring you joy. Listen to music, dance, decorate your home, spend time in nature, grab those paintbrushes and let your inner artist out! This will automatically make you feel good, happy, energized, and inspired to create! I would also encourage you to bring some of this playfulness into your work – it has a way of increasing productivity and motivation, relieving stress, and leads to creative solutions. In short, don’t take life too seriously.
Do any of these resonate? Have you tried any yourself or are you willing to test some out? I would love to know if fellow entrepreneurs have any more tips to share.
If you have your own business, or you’re a freelancer or just starting out and feel you could use some support from like-minded women, to share knowledge, lift you up and keep you going then email sass@shemalta.com for details about the program. She’d love to have you join the SHE virtual family.
